BookStack vs Trilium Notes
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
BookStack
Simple self-hosted documentation and wiki platform
VS
Trilium Notes
Hierarchical note-taking for building knowledge bases
| Feature | BookStack | Trilium Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | ≈5-minute setup |
| Health score | 96 · Excellent | 99 · Excellent |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 19,050 | ★ 37,958 |
| First released | 2017 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Confluence, Notion | Evernote, Notion |
What are BookStack and Trilium Notes?
BookStack
BookStack is a self-hosted platform for organizing and storing documentation in a books, chapters, and pages structure. It targets teams that want an approachable wiki without complexity. It is deployed via Docker or a LAMP stack.
- Books, chapters and pages structure
- WYSIWYG and Markdown editors
- Roles, permissions and SSO
- Full-text search
Trilium Notes
Trilium Notes is a hierarchical note-taking application designed for building large personal knowledge bases with rich linking and scripting. It targets power users who want a structured second brain. It is deployed via Docker as a server with desktop and web clients.
- Deep hierarchical note tree
- Note attributes and relations
- Scripting and automation
- Encrypted protected notes
BookStack vs Trilium Notes: key differences
BookStack is written in PHP, while Trilium Notes is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for BookStack versus AGPL-3.0 for Trilium Notes. Trilium Notes is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for BookStack.
Why pick each one
Choose BookStack if…
- Very easy to learn
- Clean organized structure
- Good permissions
Watch out for
- Rigid structure for some
- Fewer integrations than rivals
Choose Trilium Notes if…
- Powerful for big knowledge bases
- Flexible structure
- Scriptable
Watch out for
- Steep learning curve
- Single-user oriented
Frequently asked questions
Is BookStack or Trilium Notes better?
Neither is universally better. Trilium Notes has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are BookStack and Trilium Notes free and open-source?
Yes. BookStack is licensed under MIT and Trilium Notes under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run BookStack and Trilium Notes with Docker?
BookStack: yes. Trilium Notes: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, BookStack or Trilium Notes?
Trilium Notes has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for BookStack. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.